I’ve missed a couple demos over the past year and there’s been several new, really interesting bikes come out so my bike test list was starting to get quite long. But with three or four extra testers to help grab bikes we made a serious attempt to knock off as many of my must-rides this year as we could. The list was packed with several new aggressive geometry 29ers in both shorter and mid- travel configurations, short travel 27.5″ Endorphin competitors, and several full on longer travel enduro rigs.

I arrived three days early to get some extra Moab riding in before the demo began, starting off with what has become maybe my favorite Moab ride: Mag 7 to Portal. I got in town around noon and parked my truck up at the top of Gemini Bridges road. I was pleased to see the new Getaway single track starting right from the top now thus avoiding the first mile or two of dirt road. Its flowy, creative and fun. I liked it. Having ridden Bull Run pretty much every time I’ve done Mag 7 and being on a bit of time clock, I chose to stay on Getaway clear down to Arth’s, then on to Little Canyon. While the new top section of Getaway was stellar, the lower portion was just OK though more direct, but overall I still prefer Bull Run.

I always love the climb up to Gold Bar rim. It is so creatively routed and has such spectacular views that you hardly notice you’re climbing. The stuff up along the rim is both challenging and rewarding.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well the Endorphin handled all this ride, including the “A” option drops and final gnarly DH type descent down the Portal. The geometry and stability allowed it to handle all of the steep chutes, steps, and tricky switch backs without any sketchiness and only a bit slower than with a bigger bike like the Chilcotin. And the Endo was much more fun on the more pedally Mag 7 stuff.

Next day I caught an early shuttle for what was supposed to be Geyser Pass, but overnight rain kept us lower for our starting point for the Whole Enchilada. We were dropped off at a back door entrance into the lower section of Jimmy Kean which is an up and down alpine singletrack loop that takes in much of the terrain of Hazard and Kokopelli but in a more circuitous fashion. I’m glad I got to do it without having to commit to the full seven mile loop in the middle of a Whole Enchilada ride. The rain was light but steady and the trail surface started to get a bit slick and muddy in a few places but for the most part was in really good shape. The sandy parts on UPS and LPS and clear down Porcupine Rim were perfect. The Endorphin was again a nearly perfect companion. Fast and responsive and a good pedaler on the flatter and climbier sections, yet still solid, smooth, and responsive on the fast shark fin chop that is ever present on Porc Rim. Major props to the X-Fusion Sweep fork that was stellar on reacting to repeated sharp-edged hits with the rebound adjustment full open.

Moody Castle Valley views on this day.

Friday morning I was up bright and early to get in line for the 9:00 am opening. I did make the rookie mistake of not picking up my packet the night before so had to stand in the packet pick up line before I could get to the gate. This was not my first rodeo so should’ve known better, but was enjoying my Thursday ride so well I totally spaced it.

The same qualifiers apply to these reviews as always. They should be considered as first ride, first impressions only. We try to get the set up and suspension dialed as well as we can for a short ride that usually lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. So if you’re expecting full-on extended reviews you may be disappointed. We do stand by our opinions though, and feel like we are pretty good at feeling out the true identity, strengths, weaknesses, and soul of any given bike.

We rated all the bikes on a scale of 1-5 for visual impression/looks, climbing ability, descending, cornering, general agility, fit, and an intangible factor. Lowest score is a 7, highest is a 35.

Pivot Switchblade

The original Titus Switchblade was tops on my list when I was ready to invest in my first real, high-end full suspension bike some 15 years ago because it ticked all the boxes of what I was looking for in an aggressive trail bike. The new Pivot Switchblade was tops on my list for this demo for the same reasons. It definitely ticked all the boxes. The Pivot Switchblade is an aggressive trail bike with 135mm of rear travel and 150mm up front. It ships with either a 29” or 27.5+ wheels. It also sports pretty slack head angles at 67.25-degrees in 29er configuration and 66.5 in 27.5+ form. Chainstays are nice and short at 16.85”, yet it can still accommodate a front derailleur and 3.25” tires. With a stiff carbon frame that’s fairly light, it can be built up in the sub 30 lb range without totally breaking the bank. It sounded like the perfect All-Trail bike (Yes, I’m coining a new bike category. You’re welcome.)

I scrambled to the Pivot tent first thing and was able to secure this black, size large SB, set up with 27.5+ wheels. As with all Pivot’s recently, the Switchblade has nice compact, visually balanced look. The bottom bracket, seat tube down tube junction is thick and oozes stiffness. The links are short and well executed keeping things tight and aesthetically pleasing. The fit was perfect for my 71″, average body type.

Moving up the trail was easy and the SB responded well to pedal input. Lateral stiffness kept things in line and for a 135mm travel 27.5+ it bumped off small kickers and drops with relative ease, but felt slightly sluggish doing it. Cornering also felt a bit vague with the bigger tires. They didn’t really lack for grip, I just didn’t ever really feel a nice edge to set with confidence. I took it on some rocky, more technical climbs on the Deadman’s Loop and was impressed at its efficiency and climbing grip though less so with its ability to roll up and over square edges. The rear end seemed to stiffen too much and caused a noticeable hop in its progress though no discernable pedal kickback. Getting around tight switchbacks was natural and didn’t require any major adjustments in technique. I’d give it a 4/5 on smooth and technical climbing. This is a good characteristic for an all day trail bike and an enduro race rig.

For a longer travel 27.5 plus what wasn’t expected is that it didn’t feel super plush on rougher descents and didn’t seem super smooth on smaller trail irregularities, an area where the Ibis Mojo 3+ really shined. Maybe I didn’t ever get the tire pressure dialed which I know is critical or maybe I didn’t ever get the Fox Float DPS EVOL adjusted correctly, but quite a bit of fiddling didn’t substantially improve this lack of plushness. I’d like to try it again with a Float X2 or or CCDB Air. Perhaps a nice custom coil like the Push Eleven Six would be the ticket, but the Float EVOL wasn’t doing it. I know Pivot knows how to give a bike that deep and plush rear suspension feel because I’ve ridden the Mach 6 on several occasions, but I couldn’t help but think how the SB felt more akin to the 429 Trail than the Mach 6. Maybe that was by design, but I expected more of a Mach 6 29er/27.5+.

When I took the SB back to the Pivot tent I asked the technician to “switch” on the 29″ wheels. I immediately felt more comfortable. It felt more responsive to pedal input, cut into corners better, and rolled up and over square edges with less kick. The bigger wheel transformed the bike for me. It still wasn’t perfect, but I liked it a lot better in 29er form.

Score: 30/35 in 27.5+ form; 32/35 in 29er form.

Bike manufacturers are finally getting the short stem wide bar thing although these weren’t extreme.

XT brakes and KS Lev dropper worked as expected.

Unlike Ben, I liked the SRAM drivetrains better than the Shimano. This one had vague shifting and kept missing shifts and dropping gears.

The Fox 36 Fork was free of flex yet fairly plush and controlled. The Float DPS shock seemed outgunned and underwhelmed me in this application. The SB deserves better.

Rocky Mountain Slayer

The Slayer is back with a full carbon frame, 27.5 wheels, and with 165mm of enduro crushing travel. The Slayer was the first of three full on, long travel enduro/am bikes we rode. Unfortunately we weren’t able to take it on the kind of steep, fast, gnarly trails that would really make it shine, but it had all the right numbers to make it work in the roughest terrain. We were, however able to get a reasonably good impression of its strengths on our ride. The very tame trails that access the Deadman’s loop which is the most technical trail at the Brand Tails showed that the Slayer was a pretty good pedaler. For a big bike it cruised along the buff xc Lazy trail with relative efficiency and was able to keep up speed without feeling too sluggish on the flats . As I turned up the rocky Deadman’s loop I discovered it also climbed pretty well. The horst type Smoothlink rear suspension eased over square edges without sagging too much into its travel but there was enough squat that combined with a relatively low bottom bracket, pedal strikes were common.

Despite its slack head angle the climbing position felt natural and it was easy to get forward to weight the front end due to the steep 75 degree seat angle. I liked how it gathered traction on loose scrambles and worked its way around switchbacks with little floppiness or drama. There was no hiding the fact that it was a big bike though.

Once pointed downhill, descending was smooth and fairly well cntrolled but noisy. I checked the lock on the clutch derailleur and it was only partially on causing the chain to slap quite a bit. Once locked on it quieted down but then got noisy again a mile or two down the trail. Not sure if the problem was with the derailleur or the bike but it was annoying. I’d forgotten how I hate noisy bikes since most are pretty quiet lately. The Fox X2 shock worked well on this platform and absorbed everything in its path with a nice controlled plushness. I couldn’t help but keep feeling like the Slayer was just beginning to really unwind when I’d get to the bottom of the short descents in the Bar M area. I’d love to take it on some longer, steeper runs. I think this is great addition to the full on enduro category and is built to take on everything up to and including lift served runs and all day big mountain climbs.

Score: 31/35.

Fox X2. Super plush damping with loads of adjustment.

I liked this cockpit set up. I should, it’s exactly like mine. 800mm SixC bars and XT brakes.

I’ve been wanting to ride the Patrol since it came out in aluminum two or three years ago. They did’t have the carbon Scout at the Transition booth when I stopped by so I took this opportunity to swing a leg over its big brother. The Patrol was like the Slayer’s Canadian twin. They both felt very similar and rode quite a bit alike, so I’ll focus on their differences. The Patrol sits squarely in the big bike category despite just 155mm of travel due to its plush ride, long front center and slack head angle. It did feel a little sluggish on more xc trails (like all the bigger enduro/AM bikes we rode, but we felt that it climbed and pedaled a bit more briskly than the Rocky Mountain.

The carbon frame was fairly light and laterally stiff and there was little noise or commotion while plowing over rocks and chop. The size large frame fit me very well at 5’11.5″ and it did not complain at the more pedaly ride I took it on. In fact, the seated pedaling position felt pretty upright and comfortable though maybe not quite centered as the Slayer.

Overall, I liked this bike quite a bit though it didn’t do anything outstanding to really set it apart from the crowd. I could certainly live very happily with the Patrol as a bigger, do-all enduro crushing steed, but would I spend my hard earned money on it? That’s the question we all have to answer. Go ride it if you have a chance. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Score: 30/35

Both the Patrol and the Slayer ran on these new Flow mk3 alloy rims from Stan’s. They are wide at 28.5mm internal width and felt stiff. They gave the tires a nice wide print and a little more rounded profile without taking away from the intended shape and cornering edge of he tires. The low profile helps avoid rim strikes.

Nice lines, good fit, and built to bomb….although I liked the X2 on the Slayer better than this Monarch Plus Delux shock. The Monarch always feels slightly less reactive.

Transition gets it.

Guide brakes are an acquired taste…. and after riding nothing but Shimano XT on my personal bikes it takes awhile to get used to the more gradual engagement of the Guides. The Pike and Fox 36 forks felt relatively equivalent this year. Both very good. I good easily live with either. Loved the all black with flo blue highlights.

Stay tuned. There’s more to come. I rode 14 bikes in all. Ben rode another 6-8 that I didn’t.

Orbea Occam

The Rallon, Orbea’s 160mm travel 27.5 AM/Enduro bike, was actually on my list but after riding three big bikes in a row I decided that a short-travel trail bike would be much more fun on the more xc-oriented Bar M Trails so the tech at the Orbea tent recommended the 120mm travel Ocam. Honestly, I didn’t know much about the Ocam and I wasn’t expecting much from this Spanish 29er but it did meet the criteria and looked sweet all dressed up in orange and dangled with some fairly spicy components. Venerable XT brakes and drive train did the heavy lifting duties of going and stopping while DT Swiss X1700 Spline alloy wheels spun free and displayed little flex. Full carbon construction with sharp lines, 148mm Boost rear spacing, internal cable routing, and press fit bottom bracket round out the frame details.

I was immediately and pleasantly surprised by the Occam. The size large’s fit was spot on and pedal input was crisp yet still felt active enough to keep the rear wheel tracking the ground on bumpier ground. The linkage activated single pivot with Fox Float Evol were well mated for travel type and leverage ratio. The rear shock mounts high up parallel to the top tube leaving plenty of room for a water bottle (or two). The bar and stem combo was a year or two too narrow and long but it didn’t adversely affect handling once I readapted. Turn in was not sluggish at all and it loved to carve the faster twistier North Forty trail. The 17.1″ chain stays kept things tight and responsive without giving up much in the way of straight line stability. The big wheels made it easy to keep momentum up. The Ardent front tire rolled well but isn’t my favorite for cornering grip. The new Forecaster rear tire by Maxxis did not distinguish itself in any bad ways. In fact I didn’t notice anything about it all, which is usually a good thing. Also of note for being much better than most folks give it credit for was the Fox 32 Factory fork. If you start pushing into the routier side of trail riding you may want to upgrade to the Fox 34, Rock Shox Pike, or MRP Stage, but it felt controlled, accurate, and plush on the small stuff during my ride.

Overall the Occam was high on my list of favorite bikes I rode this year. It was a bar, stem, and front tire away from being in my top two or three. So just because you may not be as familiar with this small Spanish manufacturer, you should still give Orbea a look. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised as I was.

Score: 31/35

This Fizik saddle matched the orange and black kit nicely, but was a little too rounded on the top for my tush.

Linkage activated cleavus driven Fox DPS Evol shock worked well on this bike and was tucked out of the way nicely.

This cockpit was a bit dated/xc but the bike still impressed.

Short(ish), relatively flex free Boost spaced rear end.

Turner Flux

Dave Turner from Turner bikes has been working on this carbon Flux for awhile and it shows…. in good ways and bad. The short travel 27.5 Flux was one of our favorites when we rode it a couple years ago but the alloy frame looked dated and was falling behind the times. We clamored for a carbon version with Czar-like styling and that is exactly what Turner delivered. The quickly changing geometry and wheel spacing “standards” however has left small frame companies like Turner struggling to keep up. When this Flux went to carbon molds, 142mm rear wheel spacing was the standard and reach numbers for a large frame were only just starting to approach the 17″ range for most manufacturers. Rather than scrap the process and start over Turner forged ahead with the older standards but they’ve got those numbers dialed whether by inability to keep up with the new standards or by design, I don’t know. But knowing Dave, changes would’ve had to make a discernable difference for him to start over just to keep up with the Joneses. Turner makes bikes with a no-nonsense, no marketing BS approach and according to how he feels a bike should ride. Many riders, may in fact appreciate a new carbon frame with more traditional geometry and with the same 142mm wheel spacing as their $1500 carbon wheels that still have plenty of life left in them.

After riding several bikes with longer reach I did notice the Flux felt comparatively short and compact. Not necessarily a bad thing, but different from the direction most are going these days. Again, many may really like that fact. It felt nimble in the tight stuff and easily exploded off every small bump and booter in the trail. Standing and pumping and popping was definitely a hoot and where the Flux felt most in its happy place. It didn’t have the momentum-carrying gyroscopic effect of the larger 29er wheeled bikes I’d just stepped off of but it wasn’t hard to keep it up to pace either. The beautiful carbon frame was laterally stiff and showed an obvious attention to detail. The dw-link 120mm rear snapped to attention when the power was applied yet still felt relatively active as it encountered trail obstacles. The seated position was centered and comfortable though a bit cramped with a short stem. Even so, one could easily climb all day on this bike then still enjoy a fun, fast, semi-rowdy descent without missing their big bike too much on the way down.

If you like a non-wagon wheeled, fun, fast, stiff, responsive carbon bike with more traditional (or more moderately updated) geometry the Flux should be high on your list.

Score: 29/35

As Ben mentioned in his RFX review, these Knight carbon wheels were stiff and responsive without beating you up like some carbon wheels.

As with the Ocam, the Fox 32 did its job admirably, but if you choose to delve deeper into the rougher terrain or are on the heavy side you may want to opt for a stiffer fork.

I really liked the looks of this white and black color scheme. The Flux is a very visually appealing bike.

Guerilla Gravity Trail Pistol

It’s no secret that I’ve been smitten with the new short to mid-travel aggressive geometry 29ers. Two of them topped my list of favorites from last year’s Interbike test (The Evil Following and Canfield Riot). It’s also no secret that I fell in love with the Megatrail, Guerilla Gravity’s 150mm travel AM ripper, I rode at Outerbike in 2014. So naturally when the Denver company announced their own 120mm travel 29er my ears perked up. When I learned it came with 148mm rear wheel spacing and could accommodate 29er (Crush Mode) and 27.5+ (Plush Mode) wheels my interest really piqued. Crush Mode and Plush Mode are accessed via the shock mount flip chips which optimizes the geometry and suspension for 29” wheel-ed crushing or 27.5 Plus wheel-ed plushness.

A perusal of the numbers tells me the Trail Pistol is ready for most anything. Head angle is a rowdy 66.6 degrees in Crush Mode and 67.3mm in Plush Mode for those fast and furious descents. A steep seat tube angle puts the rider in an ideal pedaling position at 75.8 degrees in the 29er setting and 76.6 with 27.5+ setting. The effective top tube and reach numbers are super rangy allowing for nice short stems and most will find that sizing down will fit like the bigger size on their current bike. We rode the medium, which is right in the suggested sizing range for a 5’11” rider, even though I normally ride size large. When I hopped on the bike it felt good, maybe even a touch on the long side. I certainly can’t imagine riding a large. In fact, even with short 16.9″ chain stays the wheel base is plenty long at 47.5″ even in the medium frame.

But we don’t buy bikes based solely on the numbers so we took the Trail Pistol for a ride. Out on the trail the TP does feel bigger/longer than some, alright most, of the size large 29ers we rode. The frame is built burly and the build we rode felt a bit heavy especially compared to the carbon 29ers we rode. In pedaling this seemed to translate into less responsiveness than the lighter, spritelier 29ers, but some of this perceived sluggishness could also be blamed on our end of the day tired legs or, who knows, maybe the tank-like flat army green color. However, a bike that still seems to carry you along at an easy, levitating clip even while tired really earns high marks. This one didn’t. To its credit the Trail Pistol did bend itself around the flowy trails we rode without feeling like a battleship and it was fairly easy to get the front end up thanks to the short chain stays. The standing and hammering position felt comfortable and commanding. As speeds picked up the TP really started to come alive and it felt solid and controlled on rough descents and did not get knocked off its line at all. In fact, the faster you went, the better it felt. The rear end didn’t feel that plush but I think with some additional tuning or a different shock that could be substantially improved. I also learned that you can order the TP with a longer shock to up the rear travel to 130mm which would provide a little more cushion when the geo and take-no-prisoners character of the frame got you in over your head.

So who is the Trail Pistol for? I think anyone who wants a well-built, solid, aluminum, aggressive 29er with great versatility and that one-off made in the USA semi-custom exclusiveness at a reasonable price should definitely give the guys at Guerrilla Gravity a call and set up a demo. They are terrific to work with and will bend over backwards to get you set up with a bike that fits you and be there to service your needs after the sale. With some smart choices on wheels and components, I have no doubt you could build up the TP in the 27-28 lb range and make it feel nearly as responsive as those carbon wonder bikes we rode yet still maintain that burly, built to thrash quality GG is becoming famous for.

Score: 28/35

This two position Rock Shox Pike was sturdy and responded well. I liked it better in the 140 setting than the 120. The Monarch shock was OK but we felt it could be a little more plush.

Stubby stem equals good

One of the cool things about Guerrilla Gravity is you can choose any one of a dozen or more colors to suit your own preferences. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Guerilla Green, but like I said, there are several others to choose from. The built in NUTS (Necessary Under the Saddle) Bracket for holding a tube and tire changing essentials is a nice touch, as is the curved “hunch back” shape of the top tube that allows room for a water bottle for those who choose to skip the traditional way for carrying what you need.

Ibis Ripley LS

I’ve been trying to get a ride on the LS since it was announced last year. We loved the original Ripley we rode two years ago. It was nimble, responsive, and just loved to stand and hammer. Here’s a link to our review of that bike. It was a tad short in the cockpit and a little steep in the head angle but was so fun to ride we were willing to overlook any slight faults it had. It was the first 29er we’d ridden that made us want to, uh, ride a 29er. Well, at least, until we heard about the geometry updates on the longer, slacker LS. With a degree and a half slacker head angle and 1.5″ longer front center and slightly lower bottom bracket it sounded perfect for some aggressive all-trail shenanigans. Other frame updates include: New, better thought out internal cable routing, increased tire clearance, a return to threaded bottom bracket, seat mast lowered by 1/2” to accommodate today’s longer droppers, Boost 148mm x 12mm Shimano through axle, and stiffer eccentric cores.

The first thing that was apparent is that the Ripley LS had not lost the fun, playful, quick-handling nature of the original. It still bobbed and weaved through tight, curvy single track with a nimbleness usually only associated with smaller wheeled bikes. The longer wheelbase did not seem to slow it down in the curves. The size large frame, flat wide bar and short stem created a perfect seated and standing environment from which to do business. It felt comfortable, yet still allowed for an aggressive, head-over-bars position for weighting the front wheel when leaning into corners. The few short climbs we did on our test loop were dispatched with ease, usually standing and just staying in a taller gear and hammering up. Once pointed downward, the LS was confident and tracked through rocks and chunder with confidence and stability. For just 120mm of travel the rear end felt surprisingly controlled and plush.

Frame construction appeared top notch and looked gorgeous. The rear end was stiffer than I remembered from the original thanks to the new beefed up boost rear triangle. The Ripley, like most Ibis bikes, is a clean, uncluttered design. The new cable routing looks intuitive and was free of rattles. The threaded bottom bracket was free of squeaks and creaks.

We were really impressed with the Ripley LS. It is a well-sorted bike that did everything well and looked good doing it. The ideal buyer would be someone looking for a light, responsive all-trail 29er that feels more like a 27.5 while popping and playing yet still displays those desirable 29er traits on rolling, up and down trails and in choppy, rocky momentum sapping terrain.

Score: 33/35

LS = Long and Slack. Not as long and slack as some, but Ibis struck a near perfect balance while updating the Ripley to a more aggressive geometry.

It’s no secret that I’ve really been liking the shorter travel “all-trail” bikes I’ve been riding lately after years of riding 5.5-6.5″ all-mountain bikes. With the new updated geometry of slacker head angles, longer front center and shorter rear they are really quite capable yet still feel great on tamer trails and all day epics. I’ve also had a couple of short rides on some of the new 27.5 plus bikes that are becoming all the rage and was quite impressed with the added traction, cushion, and competence these bigger tires provide. So when Ibis recently announced their new 130mm travel Mojo 3 that not only has the new geo updates but Plus compatibility, it immediately moved up to the top of my “must ride” list.

I was able to attend the 6th Annual Hurricane MTB Festival this past weekend and was at the Ibis tent bright and early to score the only large Mojo 3 they had. All their M3’s were set up with Plus size tires so that must be where most of the interest is. This one was sporting Ibis 741 rims and 2.8″ Nobby Nick tires. The tech allowed me to adjust my own suspension once he was convinced I knew what I was doing, but he insisted on using the digital tire pressure gauge and my weight to get the tire pressures just right. Exactly 12.5 lbs in the front and 18 (I think) in the back. Like fat tires, ride feel is very dependent on correct tire pressure with plus tires: Too much equals too bouncy and too little equals to wallowy and sometimes a half pound of pressure can make the difference.

Like the HD3 I rode in Sedona last year, the size large fit my 5′ 11″ body like the proverbial glove. Ibis has chosen to not go too extreme in the long-low-slack direction, keeping to a more moderate iteration of the genre. The rear suspension duties were handled by the Fox Evol shock and SRAMs excellent Pike RCT3. The recommended starting pressure for the Evol is 10% above body weight (about 180 for me… but I didn’t believe him and fudged to 175 lbs) which is quite different than the old fox shocks, whereas most techs recommend going less than the SRAM recommended starting point on the Pike so we started at 50 lbs for my 165 lbs ready-to-ride weight. I ended up being very happy with the small bump compliance and ramp up on the Pike, but kept letting out little bits of air from the Evol until I was closer to 160-165lbs before it felt right. I also let a little air out of the rear tire before I got the small bump nirvana I was craving. I didn’t have a digital gauge with me so don’t know where I ended up in back. The rest of the spec was appropriately mid to high end with SRAM’s Guide brakes and X1 single ring drive train and Race Face NW chain ring and cranks.

Our ride destination for the day was Little Creek Mesa, one of my favorite rides in the area. It provides a good mix of singletrack with gradual descents, steep climbs, techy rock moves, drops, and butt dragging slick rock rollers. We had a couple of semi-local friends with us that were able to show us some of the alternate lines and less known routes, so we had a great day of riding and a good test for the Mojo 3 plus.

First off, I can’t remember when I last stepped onto a bike and felt so immediately comfortable. The sizing, the pedaling, the cockpit, and the suspension dynamic all just gelled together to make me feel right at home. The big tires rolled nice and seemed to absorb all the small inconsistencies in the rock surface and small roots and rocks on the dirt parts. Grip was very good in both loose climbs and steep off-camber slick rock moves but not worlds better than a good 2.3″ triple compound tire. Once I got the rear tire and rear shock pressure sorted out the rear not only gripped better but smoothed out undulations and small to medium sized rocks and square edges better.

The Mojo 3 was easy to maneuver and liked to stand and hammer as do many DW link bikes, but still remained active when needed. The geometry allowed me to get the front wheel up easily for lofting up onto ledges, pedal-kicking off of drops, and manualing through rolling drops. So much fun. It’s super important to me to be able to bring up the front end at a split second notice for those “oh-crap-that’s-a-drop-not-a-roller” moments.

Climbing was a mixed bag. I cleaned some tough techy moves without issue but struggled on a couple longer, more complex surfaced climbs that I usually clean. Not sure if it was user error or set up or just one of those days, because the M3 felt like a superb pedaling rig in most every situation. The overall weight was quite light despite the bigger tires, and despite a good four hour ride with plenty of steep ups and downs, my legs never got fatigued. In fact when we removed the front wheel to load it inside the vehicle I was shocked at how light the wheel/tire combo was. All day epics even at altitude should not be a concern with this plus set up.

Cornering was accurate in both longer sweepers and tighter techy stuff. The Mojo didn’t feel too long or awkward and didn’t have any slow “self-turning” weirdness that I’ve felt with large fat tires in the past. Placing the tire in exactly the right spot on sketchy lines wasn’t quite as critical as it would be with average sized tires because the wider, grippier stance just seemed to give me more margin for error. In fact the plus tires were pleasantly inconspicuous most of the time except that they gave me a ton of confidence to bomb some rough sections and drop some big bike-worthy features without a second thought. In fact, so much confidence that I did not shy away from some pretty full-sized moves that were probably a bit above the Mojo’s pay grade. The rear suspension bottomed hard when I started pushing it beyond its intended purpose and travel (remember I lowered the pressure in the shock to get better small bump compliance) but I think with an additional spacer or two the ramp up would’ve handled most anything I tried with more, ahem, composure. No long fast rough descents were to be found on Little Creek but I was able to get up to speed on a few short rough descents and the bike felt quite stable and predictable. I’m sure with steeper, fast, rowdier downhills a little longer wheel base, slacker angles, and more travel would be appreciated, but I wouldn’t give up the all-around nimbleness and maneuverability of this bike to get that little extra edge. That’s not what the Mojo is about…. but everywhere else it really shines.

As you can probably tell, I really, really liked the Mojo 3 plus. It just does everything so well and feels so right and so confident doing it it’s like a natural extension of your imagination. If you’re looking for a fun, light, all-trail bike that displays huge competence in a wide range of trail conditions, you can’t go wrong with the Mojo 3 plus.

After testing a bunch of bikes over the last year, including the Endorphin (twice), I pulled the trigger on the new 27.5 Knolly Endorphin in late April. After some unfortunate delays it finally showed up on my doorstep the first week of October. With all the great bikes coming out this fall I was afraid that all this waiting would make the Endorphin less relevant. Once I cracked open the box and beheld its welded awesomeness my fears were laid to rest. There’s just something about the tough utilitarian yet beautiful lines of a Knolly.

I’d been collecting parts for the better part of a month in anticipation of the frame arriving yet was still held up another two weeks before I could build it up due to a backordered crankset. I really like the stark, bare look of the raw frame though I think Knolly went overboard a bit on the larger Endorphin and Four x 4 graphics. The welds all look spectacular and are not muted or glopped over by thick paint so the detail is on full display. Knolly decided to go with (partial) internal routing for the Endorphin which I was fairly ambivalent about and was glad they included the slick cable keeping system as well for those who didn’t want to route things inside the frame. However, the large routing ports with multiple plug options for different cable/hose combinations made it fairly easy to route the derailleur cable (yes there’s only one derailleur on this bike) and dropper post hose internally so I did use that option and I think it looks clean and is silent. The 5mm dropper hose did not go through the lower port which is obviously only drilled to 4mm. Some careful attention and elbow grease with a rat tail file and drill opened up the port to allow the hose to pass through with the small red anodized connector attaching it to a short section of brake cable housing to pull it through and in an attempt at avoiding a rebleed. I ran the rear brake on the outside but after finding out how easy it was to route the others I might’ve done the brake internally too, but I really hate bleeding rear brakes. Incidentally, I did not have to rebleed the rear brake after shortening the hose, so next time I’ll run it internally too.

I’ve since changed the rear tire to a half worn 2.3″ HRII TR that I pulled off the front of my 5010 because the Mouintain King was too low volume and very low sidewall which required high pressures to avoid (carbon) rim strikes…and it wasn’t holding air. I also switched out the Volt saddle for a Fizik Gobi XM I had laying around from a previous build because I accidently ordered a wide and couldn’t return it.

Some comments on components:

Bars: Going with 35mm diameter 800mm wide bars on a trail bike was probably overkill and may be too stiff and a little wide for my intended purpose but if I don’t like them I’ll switch them onto the Chilcotin and get something different. They are really growing on me though. I like the extra leverage I get from the wide bars when mashing up a steep transition in too big a gear and the control they give me while bombing downhill. I haven’t done any really long rides in rough terrain yet so don’t know if the the extra stiffness will be too uncomfortable over the long haul but they seem to give me good control and I haven’t caught them on any trees yet. I opted for a 50mm stem which has been just about perfect in combination with the generous reach.

Next SL cranks 170mm: These cranks were a little different to mount with their bearing preload collar but are super light and I have not felt any compromise in stiffness. I decided to go a little shorter on the length to help mitigate pedal strikes, but I have noticed it being a little harder to turn them over on steep climbs. The 32 x 36 combo in particular feels noticeably taller than the same combination on my Chilcotin. Some of this is due to the smaller wheels on the Chili, but it also feels at least as tall as the 34 x 36 on my 5010 with same size wheels. Are they worth the $400 buy in? I don’t know. How light do you want to spend?

Race Face Half Nelson grips: These grips are fairly small (which I like) with a smooth surface for the palm but with some extra ribbing on the front/bottom that provides good grip. They are also a little lighter than full lock on grips. The blue ended up being lighter and brighter than the other blue highlights on the bike but I like how they look. I suspect they will get dirty faster than black grips but so far they haven’t.

The 150 Reverb is almost too long to achieve the correct seat height with it fully extended and slammed all the way down into the seat tube. At full pedaling height there’s about three eighths to a half inch of post showing above the seat collar. Just right for me, but if your cycling inseam is much shorter than my 33.5″ measurement you might need to opt for a 125mm dropper. Longer cranks or a saddle with a lower profile could also buy you another half inch of room but if you have shorter legs so be sure and check to make sure the 150 will work for you.

Spank Oozy pedals: These are quite light, have a broad base and grip well. They aren’t quite as thin as some but are still pretty low profile and have a tapered edge to deflect rock strikes. So far I haven’t had any problems snagging them on rocks. It took two washers to get them to spin (somewhat) free of the carbon protector boots on the ends of my cranks and the bulge near the axle bolt is slightly annoying but helps me keep my feet outboard a little more so I don’t rub against the expensive carbon arms. The blue and silver color looks good.

XFusion Sweep fork: I bought this fork on clearance last year ($382 shipped) to put on my 5010 and I can’t believe how good it is for as simple as it is and how inexpensive it was. I’ve got it set a 140mm which seems good but could change it to 150 or 160 with internal spacers. It is acceptably stiff, plush on small bumps and has decent mid-stroke support though it does dive a bit and bottoms a little too easily when set up to react to small bumps. The DIY shim stack mods I did based on a tuning thread on mtbr.com allow me to run a little higher air pressure to improve mid-stroke support and to resist bottoming without giving up too much in small bump sensitivity. I’m in no hurry to replace it.

Atomik carbon wheels: These wheels aren’t particularly light for carbon or new-school wide (25mm internal) but they are stiff, wider than full on DH rims from just a few years ago and track really well through chundery and off-camber rock gardens. I’ve had them almost a year now and they are still true though a little scratched up with one fairly deep gouge on the rear rim that, thankfully has not progressed to a crack. The Chis King hubs aren’t super light either but have quick engagement and are precision instruments that will last and last and last. Solid, solid wheels.

SRAM X1/X01 11-speed drive train: Set up was super easy and it has shifted flawlessly.

XT brakes: As always, they are dead simple to set up, fairly cheap, silent and strong. Once you’re used to the more abrupt engagement compared to some the power is good and they just work. No muss, no fuss.

Frame: Like I mentioned at the beginning, there’s something industrial, purposeful, and beautiful about an alloy Knolly frame. It’s obvious an engineer with an eye for function but not ignorant of style is behind its design. You can tell looking at it that it’s built to last and handle more than most people can dish out. Read up on what goes into it and you’ll find stuff like sealed angular contact bearings, hydroformed tubing that’s designed for ultimate stiffness and reasonable weight. Knollys will never be the lightest bikes around because they won’t sacrifice strength, durability or stiffness to get there. But this is no tank either. Frame weight is reported as 6.5 lbs with shock and builds in the 26-27 lb range with realistic parts are doable.

The rear suspension is Knolly’s tried and tested Four x 4 design which is a modified four bar design with a double linkage that provides 130mm of travel and gives Knolly control over the suspension curve from beginning to the end of the stroke and separates pedaling and braking forces. I opted for the excellent and nearly infinitely adjustable Cane Creek Double Barrel Inline shock with Climb Switch. It keeps the rear end stable while pedaling up yet still remaining active to respond to rocks, ledges, and roots along the way. The rear tire stays in contact with the ground in a predictable, traction-loving way. Downhill and on rough descents is where the Fourx4 really shines though and the action with the DB Inline is plush and controlled without ever feeling harsh with sag set at 33-35% sag. I am a little more prone to bottoming with this amount of sag but I’ll take that trade off for the sweet plushness and reasonably bottomless feel. I have not strayed at all from the CC and Knolly preset base settings other than messing with the sag and have been very happy with the Inline. With slightly less sag (say 28-30%) the rear end firms up nicely and efficiency improves. It gets up and sprints and responds to standing efforts in rolling terrain in a very XC manner. Click in the Climb Switch and the rear stiffens up even more, yielding almost hardtail-like efficiency but without the unforgiving harshness when more abrupt edges meet the rear tire. I don’t think the Endorphin is quite as stiff laterally as my old Delirium T but then neither is an M1 Abrams tank.

Sizing: At 5′ 11.5″ I was pretty certain that the large would be perfect based on my two test rides and it does fit well and works great for my local trails which tend to be fairly open and fast, but after riding it in some tighter, twisty bermed trails this past weekend I can see where the shorter wheel base of the medium would feel good for certain types of trails. So consider where you ride and how you want the bike to feel if you’re in between sizes. Also take note of my comments regarding fit for the 150 dropper post when choosing your size.

Geometry: Noel pretty much nailed this one. It’s long, low and slack like a modern, aggressive trail bike should be. I was surprised at how much it felt like my Chilcotin in geometry despite its lighter duty, trail bike intensions. Everyone who’s ridden the new Endo says it hits way above its weight in gnarly terrain and I agree. I used an angle finder app on my phone to get 66.8 degree head angle with my 140mm X-Fusion Sweep fork which feels just right for this bike. I think a 150mm fork would feel even better on the steeps without sacrificing much in the way of sharp handling. It’s stable at speed and composed in the steeps without being sluggish in slow turns or floppy on steep climbs. The reach is generous without being crazy long and the rear end is tucked in fairly tight. Overall though it is a pretty long bike and you do feel it a bit in quick left/right transitions and really tight quarters. Like I said above, if you’re in between sizes and like a quicker handling bike consider sizing down. Noel likes bikes with low stack and generally I’ve found this formula to be comfortable for me but this one may be just a tad low in the front for my liking. I’ve got a 10mm spacer under the stem and am thinking about adding another 5-10mm although the more I ride it the more I’m growing accustomed to the lower bars. One other trade off I’ve noticed with this lower stack and long reach is that while this keeps the front wheel planted on steep climbs, it makes it a tad more difficult to lift the front wheel up onto ledges and manual off of them. If you like a higher stack or want to mitigate this behavior consider a higher rise handle bar, more spacers, and/or a longer axle to crown 150mm fork. It’s easier to raise your bars than to lower them so it makes for a very versatile fitting philosophy.

The Ride
Climbing: The Endorphin is so responsive and efficient compared to the Chilcotin, I can’t help but love how it climbs on longer transfer section type climbs. Its responsive, active suspension and bigger wheels really make it a great technical climber as well. If I run a little less sag (say 28-30%) it gets up and sprints with the mini-link bikes even without the Climb Switch on but for most all around bumpier riding 33-35% feels just right. With regards to long, steep climbs, however, I’ve found that mechanical advantage may trump weight savings in how hard it feels to pedal. The bigger wheels and shorter cranks on this bike make it feel only slightly less work climbing steeps than on my Chilcotin despite being almost five pounds lighter…. or maybe it’s not as light as I think…. or maybe that’s just another testament to what a good climber the Chilcotin is. I haven’t weighed it yet, but I’m guessing around 28-29lbs with pedals.

Tight switchbacks while climbing have not been an issue despite the Endorphin’s long wheelbase and slack front end but do take a little different tactic. I’ve found that swinging just a bit wider then pulling the front end slightly off the ground to get it around then using a bit more of a conscious effort to pull the bars back straight to avoid overturning gets the job done even on some pretty tight, tricky switchbacks. Traction and tracking while climbing steep and loose stuff has been very good. Just keep pedaling and it keeps going up. As long as you keep things tight and don’t get the bars wagging too far side to side the front end doesn’t wander either, but with the slack head angle and wide bars it can get out of hand if you’re not paying attention. The only thing I haven’t done much of yet with this bike is tricky, bigger step up moves on steep climbs but I’ll report back when I take it down to Las Vegas and/or St. George this winter. Lots of that kind of stuff there.

Handling/Cornering:
This category can be split up between high speed turns, slower, tighter low speed turns, and back and forth bermed, constant radius flow-type turns.

In high speed, flatter corners the Endo rules. Period. It just flat out rails this kind of stuff and you can carry scary amounts of speed. You better know what’s coming up next, have really good reflexes (or really good brakes) or you’re going to overshoot some stuff. It hugs the ground well, drifts predictably when it starts to break loose and feels stable and balanced on the sweepers.

I described the feel of slower tighter turns in the previous paragraph but in general the longer wheel base and slack head angle does require you to adapt your method a bit. It’s almost 29er feeling in some ways but not awkward. Again, if you live back east or somewhere where it’s all about super tight, twisty trails in the trees and threading around rocks and roots you may want to consider sizing down, especially if you’re a tweener like me.

On bermed flow-type trails with consecutive left-right transitions I felt just a bit late transitioning from side to side compared to shorter bikes like the 5010 and it didn’t whip around bermed corners with shorter radii quite as intuitively. It’s not super noticeable and if you’re coming from a 29er you’ll probably think how snappy it is, but it is just a bit sluggish coming around compared to a short 26er (Duh). I have found that as I learn to turn with my hips and lean the bike more the cornering really comes alive.

Descending:
Fast, stable, confidence inspiring are all words that come to mind when I think about the descending abilities of the Endo. With geometry very similar to my 160mm AM bruiser bike, this little “trail” bike takes “Do-it-all” to a whole new level. I haven’t found anything too steep or sketchy to try and it handles rock gardens, drops and jumps nearly as well as the big bike despite its shortish 130mm of travel. The sturdy, stiff frame and controlled, active suspension really adds to this feeling of invincibility while descending. Jumping feels natural and balanced and like the 5010 and it flies straight which for a land locked guy like me really improves air-time confidence. Though like I mentioned above, it does take a little bigger tug to get the front end up so I may need to raise the bars a bit more to bring this in line.

Getting ready to drop into the Rob’s Knob descent

Overall
I’ve only got about three weeks and maybe 15 rides in on the Endorphin but so far I can say that this is my favorite bike I have owned. It is stiff laterally, efficient, active, responsive, and feels like it is built to last a long time. From local trails, to all-day epics, to enduro, to destination travel, to shuttle runs it covers so much ground from XC to true DH gnarliness it blows my mind. Comparing to some of the best bikes I’ve ridden it competes with and exceeds the leaders in its class and holds its own compared to bikes not in its class on both ends of the spectrum. The Endorphin 27.5 is a truly remarkable bike in so many ways. Congrats to Knolly for building a winner.

I don’t want to get off on a religious rant, but I’ve always had a policy of not riding on Sunday and some of my friends and riding associates may wonder why, so I thought I’d address it here. And since it’s my blog, I guess no one’s going to stop me.

I love mountain biking and would probably ride every day of the week, 365 days a year if I thought I could. But someone a lot smarter than me, God, decreed a long time ago that everyone should rest one in every seven days. Seems like a small thing, and many don’t observe this particular commandment or do it in a different way than me, but since this one is among the top ten from Sinai, I figure it must be important. It’s right there at number four, in fact: “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy”.

I believe that God gives us commandments not to bully us or restrict us, but because He loves us and wants us to be happy. And since He knows everything, He also knows the path that leads to happiness and peace (not to mention better health). I also believe that God does not give any commandment to His children without a pretty nice blessing attached if we keep that commandment. When I was a kid I mostly kept this commandment out of fear of being grounded by my parents. But a long time ago while going to college I decided I would put this particular commandment to the test. I decided to make a pact with myself and God that I wouldn’t do any homework or school work on Sundays. I wouldn’t work or do other recreational activities and I would dedicate the day to Him.

One of the surest ways to get confirmation that something works is to try it. Well, after eight more years of college and graduating with a doctorate degree in optometry magna cum laude I never did do any homework on Sunday and never felt like my grades or test performance suffered for taking that day off. In fact I think at least some of my success in school I can attribute to that decision to keep the Sabbath. With this new found confirmation I decided to apply the same test to other things in my life and found that the blessings kept flowing. Now I love taking a break from everything once a week, worshiping God and just resting from my labors…. Even mountain biking. I feel rejuvenated physically, mentally, and spiritually when I observe the Sabbath.

I love this scripture from Isaiah 58:13-14: It’s formatted in the classic “If-Then” format where a condition is prescribed and a result is promised if the condition is met. Check out the promised blessing in verse 14. If that’s not a clear reference to mountain biking, I don’t know what is.

13 ¶If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

So for me, at least, keeping a Sabbath is something that helps me recover and stay rested and feeling fresh for my five to six day a week mountain biking habit….. and I believe it keeps me in God’s good graces as well which is never a bad thing.

Let me know what your experience has been as far as riding every day versus taking one day off every week.

Nate had more time on the Pivot Mach 429 Trail than me and my observations were a bit jaded by my end-of-the-day stupor and flat out awe-struck wonderment after my ride on The Following so I asked him to write this review.

I’ve edited a few things and I’ll add my thoughts at the end, but these are Nate’s words.

“Our goal when designing the Mach 429 Trail was to create a new category of trail bike – one that takes advantage of the best features of 29 and yet maintains the performance characteristics that make you forget about wheel size and, instead, translate to the “best-ride-ever,” every time you ride.” -PivotCycles.com

Pivot did not disappoint! The new, trail version of the 429 has all the benefits of riding a larger wheel size with the feel of a mid-size, plush bike. The 429 Trail is part of a new league of aggressive 29ers hitting the market this year and we were very anxious to ride one. Finally, at the end of the day we were able to get our hands on a large and just catch the last shuttle up Bootleg Canyon.

We put the 429 Trail against The Following by Evil on this ride. The two bikes were extremely comparable in geometry and feel despite the Following being a size medium and the M429 a large, and it was tough to find much lacking in either one. The most noticeable difference was that the front wheel on The Following looked like it was extended out more in front of you than the 429, which felt exactly like a mid-size wheel from the cockpit. However, the numbers are actually very close. When you look at the math, there are indeed very few differences between these bikes. But those departures do explain some of the differences in how these two feel on the trail. Though they have similar wheel bases, how they get there is what’s different: The Following has a longer front center and shorter rear center along with a slightly slacker and lower stance compared to the 429T giving it a more aggressive bent.

We knew these wagon wheels would handle the climbing (and we were tired), so we opted to shuttle up and come down Boy Scout. After riding the same trail on the Mach 6 and other long-travel bikes, I was surprised how smooth the 429 still felt on the ledges and rocks. This can be credited to Pivot’s improved, “trail-tuned” dw-linkage, stiff rear triangle, and the slacker head angle of this “trail” model. The suspension has Pivot’s bottomless feel, despite only having 116mm of travel. When it came to riding down Girl Scout, a more flowy trail, the 429 really shined. It was quick and responsive in the corners, with just the right amount of stiffness to really push through and pick up speed. If I didn’t know it was a 29er, I would have believed it was a 27.5 like I’m used to riding.

Nothing about this bike felt like the 29ers from the past. It’s made for serious trail riding and enduro racing (assuming you’re not doing EWS venues on WC DH courses), with a light carbon fiber frame and great component options from either Shimano or SRAM to go with it. The model we rode had Shimano’s 2x 11 with a new side swing front derailleur. We didn’t honestly find much use for the higher gears on our rides, but I could see the benefit if you’re serious about racing. With the front derailleur removed, the bottom bracket is left looking clean and light with very little visual evidence of the offending device. Cables are routed under the down tube, with the exception of internal routing from the bottom to the seat for your dropper post. There’s even space for a water bottle, if that’s what you’re into.

While I’m a big fan of the Rockshox Pike and Monarch, I wouldn’t bother changing the Fox 34 Factory fork and Float DPS shock setup that Pivot had on this bike. The fork is excellent and they’ve got the shock tune matched perfectly to the geometry and leverage ratio of the dw Link supension of the 429 and I think you’d have a hard time doing better by picking your own. As I said, the ride was smooth and fast. The suspension was perfect for most everyday riding. Also, with the Boost setup, the fork and rear triangle easily accept plus-size tires, opening up new riding opportunities with just a second set of wheels.

There’s also something to be said for Pivot’s customer service. Most booths we visited were crowded, disorganized, and often, basically rude. Pivot was a better experience all around. They moved people through quickly, remembered you, and had fun. The techs knew each bike really well and talked us through everything while they set up the suspension and pedals. When we returned the 429, well after the cutoff time, they had no complaints. We were even applauded by Chris Cocalis (CEO of Pivot Cycles) and his team before leaving for the night. And, while you shouldn’t buy a bike based solely on service, it definitely helps you choose one company over another.

So, in summary, this is a great all-around trail bike for most riders and for 95% of the trails most of us ride, most of the time. It will easily get you up the trail and bring you back down with speed and comfort that rivals most medium-travel bikes out there. It really fits the aggressive 29er description well. I’m not a fan of 29” bikes in general, but this bike has challenged my concerns and changed my opinion of them for the future. If you’re a bigger guy, or you want that extra rollover capability without the high-seat, slow response of those big wheel bikes of yesteryear, or if you’re just looking for a great, do-all bike to ride every day, this is a great choice. And, with a price tag significantly lower than the Mach 6 (and Mach 429SL), a great option for your budget, too.

It was hard to capture the stunning blue on the Mach 429 Trail but we both liked it a lot.

2 x 11 Shimano gearing, with internal routing on the CS only

Excellent Float 34 Factory fork, external cable routing on the front triangle (except up the seat tube for the Stealth dropper post routing) along with a little cheaper, slightly heavier (but equally stiff) carbon lay up which helps reduce the price point for the Trail model by $500 dollars compared to other carbon models. (At least I think, that’s what their marketing speak for the Trail model is saying)

Mmmm, shiny paint….. and more subdued and sparse graphics than we’ve seem from Pivot in the past. Like.

This is KRob again. I’ll just add a couple responses to queries about these two bikes here from private messages and posts on mtbr and on the blog to give you a feel for my slightly different view point on the M429 Trail.

I liked the M429Trail quite a bit and think Pivot did a good job creating a bike (though I’d question whether they’ve created a new category) that covers a wide range of riding from XC to aggressive trail quite well but not as much as I liked the Following. The Following felt like a low slack, short travel all-trail shredder with some impressive overlap into the endruo/am category. Very fast, nimble, and capable. The M429 was impressive and did feel more relaxed and trail worthy than your typical short travel 29er but it had the misfortune of being ridden directly following the, um, Following. I think Nate liked the M429 better than the Following for his purposes which may lean a little more to the XC side of the aggressive trail category.

So for all-day, big climbing rides on moderately technical and rough trail, adventure riding, back country stage races, and endurance races I’d lean towards the M429 Trail, but for more all-around hooliganism and aggressive riding I’d go with the Following all…. day……long.

The 429 Trail is a pretty cool bike, but there were others I liked better. It did fit well and for its skimpy 116mm of travel felt like it had more travel than it did. It was agile enough and tracked well in the rough but felt like it got bounced around some on the rockier sections. I would’ve preferred bigger, meatier tires for the loose, dry, rocky Bootleg conditions but the Ardents weren’t bad. Overall the 429 Trail hit its mark pretty well, but I think it was too conservative in its “Trail” iteration. I mean if you’re going to keep the standard 429 (which is an excellent bike), why not go a little crazy and separate it more towards the aggressive side of the spectrum. If I had just stepped off a regular XC 29er or 29 HT onto the 429 Trail, I think I would’ve noticed its more relaxed, aggressive, “Trail” character more, but like I said elsewhere, it had the misfortune of following the Following.

Overall we were quite impressed with the Mach 429 Trail but I definitely feel like I’d need some more time on it to get a more complete picture of its strengths.

The Following has created quite a stir in the bike industry over the past several months since its release and left other manufacturers scrambling to catch up. Evil carved out a whole new niche in the bike world with its short travel, aggressive geometry 29er trail shredder. “Monster truck wheels with a sports car feel…. A FUN, versatile, yet aggressive short travel, big wheel trail bike with progressive geometry that could be at home on all day adventures, slashing trails or riding jump lines.” is how Evil Bikes describes the Following on their site and we’d have to agree they hit their target. I’ve been super intrigued by this bike since I first started reading about it and have been dying to take it for a spin.

I knew Evil would not officially be at the Dirt Demo but I was hoping some component company would use it as a platform to spotlight their product or someone from the small company might show up on the outskirts with a bike our two to loan out to a lucky few. A query on mtbr did not turn up any leads and in fact one poster who is fairly well connected with Evil said they would not be there. I was disappointed but resigned myself to not being able to ride The Following. But as I was sitting eating my lunch a guy rode up on an Insurgent, Evil’s just-released 27.5″ enduro rig. I quickly dropped what I was eating and asked him where he got it. Vittoria tires has a new mountain bike tire line they were wanting to showcase and could not have picked a better bike to get attention drawn to their tent.

They only had two bikes, an Insurgent and the Following which were both out when I scrambled to the Vittoria tent near the end of the day but I was fortunate to only have to wait a few minutes before this black medium sized The Follwing came rolling back in, its rider still wiping a huge grin off his face.

I’d read with interest the long sizing discussions on the mtbr.com Evil Bikes forum and wondered, with The Following’s long effective top tube and reach if I’d be more comfortable on a medium or large. I’m still a little undecided which I’d order if I were ordering one today, but I will say this medium fit quite well. It may have been a bit cramped for long smoother climbs, but for the standing and hammering I was able to do on it, the medium felt great. The Following really encourages a stand up and shred attitude with it’s rally racer low, long, and slack geometry. The short chain stays make you want to pump and manual everything in site. All the while the big wheels and well-controlled but short suspension travel are just gobbling up some pretty nasty trail conditions that have flummoxed many much more DH=specific bikes I’ve ridden here at Bootleg Canyon over the years. Super impressive. I was never aware of the bigger wagon wheels doing anything that compromised the ride in any way, even though when looking out over the bars the front wheel sticks out there quite prominently.

Climbing was exceptional on the short steep, sometimes loose and often rocky ascents on the way down our usual run. The rear tire stuck to the ground and did not spin out or bounce you around when putting down the power. We didn’t have an opportunity to test it on any long, sustained climbs but it pedaled very efficiently both seated and standing and the seated position seemed to put the rider in a good position for long climbs…..although I must admit, I didn’t sit much on the Following. It was all about the BMX style pumping, gapping, and railing. Handling can be described as slot-car effective. I did not have any trouble getting the big wheels around in tight spots and switchbacks, yet it still felt incredibly stable on fast, rock-littered, and ledgy descents. It was almost unbelievable how The Following could feel both like a small, quick handling bike and a big bruiser AM bike at the same time. In fact by time I got to the entrance of the same long, super steep, sketchy chute (The Hour Glass) that the Riot navigated with relative ease I’d developed enough confidence in the gnar-capability of The Following that I decided to send it down. Besides, Nate was sitting at the bottom with a video camera waiting for the show so I was pretty much obligated to do it. I’ve come to realize over the past while after riding some pretty capable short travel bikes that descending and gnar-tech ability has more to do with geometry than travel and the Following with its excellent progressive geometry confirmed this theory in spades as it took me safely down the Hour Glass with only slightly more drama than the Riot.

Being a showcase for Vitorria’s new line of mtb tires The Following was shod with Vittoria’s excellent 2.3″ Morsa tire front and back that resembles a cross between a High Roller II and Minion DHF. They had good volume and exceptional traction in the loose, rocky, and dry Bootleg conditions but not quite the same ultimate braking grip on steep rock faces as the 3C High Roller II, thus the extra drama on the Hour Glass super chute as I had more trouble controlling my speed on the Following than the HRII shod Riot.

In summary, I can’t imagine a better blend of fun and aggressiveness and a wider range of usefulness in a mountain bike than is offered by The Following. Outside of XC racing on one end and bigger drops and super chunky, fast World Cup DH type rock gardens on the other where more suspension is really required it can just about do it all. Believe the hype. The Following is a true game changer and will redefine how other manufacturers design bikes for years to come.

Count me as a one of The Following’s followers. A very impressive and fun bike.

Dave’s Extra Legitimate Travel Apparatus (Delta Link). I don’t know how the mad scientist Dave Weagle does it, stuffing all the good suspension action in that tangle of shock and linkage down there but I know it’s effective and keeps the weight low, down by your feet where it belongs.

With its black on black color scheme and dark moniker I thought it appropriate that we shoot The Following in a cave… with spider webs. If it were a super hero, The Following would definitely be Batman.

Vittoria has always been the parent company to Geax mtb tires, but they have recently decided to gather all their lines under the Vittoria brand. This is the Morsa. An aggressive tread, dry to loose to loamy terrain tire. It worked quite well.

Wide bars and ultra short stem. Braaap. Get your moto on! It even had moto style grips which I really liked.

Nate was able to snag this top of the line Instinct 990MSL BC edition which features a longer, 140mm Pike fork, stiffer wheels, bigger tires, and wider bars than the standard edition Instincts at the Rocky Mountain tent at the same time I picked up the Intense Spider 29c unbeknownst to each other. Excited to compare two pretty evenly matched steeds side by side we headed out of the demo area for the Lake Loops. We kept staying left at all the junctions insuring the longest loop with the best variety of terrain. While not equal to the more rugged offerings up the canyon, these trails did provide a nice test ground for these two trail 29ers and their intended purposes.

I stepped directly off the Intense after one lap of the outer loop right onto the Instinct so should have been able to feel any differences immediately. What struck me most is how similar they felt despite some differences in their key numbers. For instance the top tube on the Instinct is a shortish 23.6″ for a size large but with the reach only a quarter inch shorter than the Spider at 16.77″. The Instinct did feel a little taller in the front due to the longer fork and did have a slightly more upright sitting position, but the fit between the two was remarkably similar. I could not appreciate any huge advantage from one to the other with regards to pedaling efficiency. They both have this part mastered pretty well but I’d say the Spider was probably a bit more spritely. The beefier BC spec on the Rocky Mountain added some weight compared to the Intense which was noticeable out on the trail (or was I just getting tired?), but I appreciated the extra confidence afforded by those upgrades. The wider, more aggressive 2.3 Minion DHRII tires and wider bars really allowed me to attack some of the loose, blown out corners with a little more aggression, though I can’t say the Spider lagged behind it much in this regard.

If we had taken these two down the steeper, more rocky Boy Scout and East Leg trails I get the feeling that the Instinct would begin to distinguish itself more from the Spider, but I don’t think it would have shined quite as brightly on that stuff as did the Riot.

One of the cool things about the Instinct is its Ride 9 adjustable geometry chip where you can change the characteristics of the ride quite a bit from a devilishly slack 66.6 degrees to a more sane 68.2 degrees. These changes also change the bottom bracket height, seat tube angle, reach and stack accordingly so beware what you ask for when fiddling with the chip. On my wife’s Altitude I thought it felt too short, tall and tippy in anything but the lowest, slackest position but the Instinct felt pretty good in the more medium slack setting we found it in. However, I would love to “enduro” it out for some steep, rough descents to see what it is capable of.

These bikes are both in the mid-long travel (130mm) trail/aggressive trail category and though not quite as poppy and maneuverable as the Riot or Following, they both cover a wide range of trail conditions and riding styles with a high degree of competence. I’ve never been a 29er guy, but I could easily live with either of these two bikes for all-around trail to all-mountain riding.

XT brakes and Rocky Mountain’s Smooth Link rear suspension with pivots on the chain stay in front of, but higher than, the rear axle. It does a good job keeping the suspension active while braking and descending, but steady and relatively bob-free when pedaling.

A good view of the new wrap-around, one piece swing link that helps stiffen up the rear end which has been one of Rocky Mountain’s weaknesses in previous years. The Ride 9 chip on the front shock mount can be moved in any one of 9 different positions to change geometry. This one is set in a medium to moderately slack position.

All the bikes we rode this year had dropper posts which I consider mandatory. They were all running either the excellent Rock Shox Reverb like this one shown here or the equally functional KS Lev. The only issue we had with any of them is how the remote lever was positioned. Most tents set them up too high for our preference, but that was a simple fix when we took the time to do it.

These aggressively knobbed, 2.3″ Minion DHR II tires hooked up really well in the loose dry conditions but were a bit slow rolling compared to the Ardents on the Spider on the faster, buffer sections. This 140mm Pike fork didn’t have quite the small bump lushness of the Fox 34 Factory, but it was stiff, controlled, plush, and didn’t bottom out easily.

Rocky Mountain Instinct 990 msl BC edtion. You could do much worse than this when buying your next bike, if you’re looking for a great all-around 29er that’ll do most things from general trail riding to long adventure rides or backcountry stage races to steep and blown out shuttle descents.

For our third pairing we attempted to pick up a pair of plus bikes like the Devinci Hendrix, Scott Genius Plus, Stumpjumper 6Fattie, or Ellsworth Epiphany Plus but by mid-day these were very scarce. So even while we were both striking out on the plus bikes separately we ended up meeting up with two trail 29ers that were a good match: This blacked out Spider 29C and the excellent Rocky Mountain Instinct 990 MSL BC Edition.

The Intense was a fun bike and we took it on the Lakes Loops which are a little more XC in nature but still with a couple of rocky and droppy sections to test its rowdy nature as well. The fit on this size large was perfect and looking at the numbers this bike should compare fairly well to some of the other new-school aggressive trail 29ers like the Pivot Mach 429 Trail, Ibis Ripley LS, and Evil The Following. Its numbers are a little more mainstream than the Evil but still reasonably pushed towards the longer/lower/slacker genre than 29ers of years past. Top tube length on the large is 24.5″, reach 17.1″, chain stays are not overly long at 17.5″, head angle is modestly slack at 68.5 degrees, and the bottom bracket is a low 13.2″.

The suspension duties were handled nicely by the new Fox Factory offerings with a Float Evol shock out back and a very good Float Factory 34 fork out front. I was very impressed with the plushness and control of this 34 fork. It was much better than previous year’s offerings and one of the best forks we rode at the show. It had very good small bump compliance, decent mid stroke support, and ramped up nicely.

Riding up out of the demo area towards the trails was effortless despite tired legs as the Spider pedaled without undo suspension movement even in the fully open setting. Out on the flowy, smoother Lakes Loops the big wheels picked up speed nicely and seemed to carry a lot of momentum down through the several steep g-out gully traverses and up the other side with little effort. A few of these drop abruptly with small ledges to launch off of and despite Intense’s own description for the Spider stating, “The Spider 29C is our 29” wheel size,light trail bike built for cross-country and flowy single track…..designed for climbing, cruising and fast trail riding.”, it seemed to cross over into more aggressive trail duty quite well. In fact their own promo video just below this statement is decidedly agro AM rowdy, showing one of their factory riders destroying some big boulder drops, steep rollers, and mixed chunder aboard the Spider. I didn’t get the chance to test the Spider in those types of conditions (nor would I have thought to if they were available), but the little sections of mild gnarliness on the Lakes Loops did demonstrate that the Spider is quite capable and comfortable on a wide range of terrain.

High speed handling was excellent on the bermed sweepers and loose flat turns. It was also quite tossable in back and forth S turns without feeling too 29er sluggish. We didn’t encounter any really tight, slow, techy sections on this loop, but it didn’t seem as eager to pop up over things and manual every dip as the Following, nor did it feel quite as agile, but for the smoother, fast, flowy nature of this trail, the Spider seemed perfectly suited, yet still able to handle a fair amount of more challenging terrain as well.

Overall I’d rate the Spider 29 quite highly. I liked it at least as well as the Mach 429 Trail and Instinct eventhough it wasn’t really even on my radar screen before I showed up at the Intense tent. I stopped by in search of a 27.5 Spider but was pleasantly surprised by this bike. It would be interesting to take it down our normal Boy Scout to East Leg route to compare it more directly to the Following but I got the sense that it would comport itself in the rough stuff quite well.

This is the bike I forgot to shoot pictures of so you’ll have to settle for a stock image swiped from the net. It was set up just like the one in the picture. Intense Spider 29C Factory build.

So it seems I keep coming back to the Mach 6. This is the third time I’ve demoed it over the past two years but the first time we were able to snag a large size frame. Also this is the new updated version that was just released. Basically Pivot reworked the rear triangle and pivots for greater lateral rigidity and to incorporate the new 148mm “Boost” rear axle spacing. They incorporated a double wishbone design into the rear triangle inspired by their Phoenix downhill bike and beefed up the cold forged upper and lower links reportedly adding 150% increase in stiffness in the upper link alone. It should be noted that I never noticed any flex in the old rear triangle but stiffer is better. The new, redesigned clevis is now lighter, stronger and provides increased clamping force on the shock body. The cable routing was one of the few sore points with some of the previous model’s owners, so Pivot rerouted things inside the down tube including a large service port at the top and a Di2 electronic shifting battery accommodating trap door at the bottom of the down tube near the bottom bracket junction. The rear derailleur cable follows inside the drive side chain stay back to the rear axle while the rear brake cable follows on top of the non-drive side chain stay then inboard of the seat stay to the brake. The rear derailleur cable does have an exposed loop that hangs down a bit as it exits the down tube before it enters the chain stay so this isn’t ideal, but should avoid the binding problems of the previous model’s routing through the upper linkage.

I’ve always loved the aesthetic, organic yet industrial lines of the M6, and the new rear triangle with its wider swoopy curved Boost accommodating stays and beautifully purposeful cold forged short links only add to the affect for me. We both loved the new, more subdued, blacked out graphics on this black frame. The bright highlights are sparse but accent things nicely without being too busy.

Nate rode the Mach 6 on our first lap and came away duly impressed. He said he’d rate it slightly ahead of the Spartan stating, “What’s not to like?! Super plush coming down, yet totally capable on the climbs. Responsive, quick, and fun.” I agree. While not quite as plush as the Spartan it felt more compact and maneuverable without feeling less stable and certainly sprinted up the short grade reversals with more alacrity. I’ve ridden many very good bikes in the intervening two years since I was first blown away by the Mach 6 at the 2013 Interbike Dirt Demo so you would think I’d be a bit jaded by now and not so easily won over by the M6, but my run down Boy Scout and East Leg still put a huge grin on my face. The Mach 6 with its excellent Float X Evol rear shock was so plush, stable, agile, and confidence inspiring going fast over some very rough terrain that it just makes you giggle. Then on the more pedally, techy flow of East Leg it picked its way over, around, and through some tricky off-camber, ledgy obstacles without getting hung up on square edges or stalled in tight corners or rocky gullies. I’ve heard complaints about the M6’s slack seat tube and short top tube making for a less-than-ideal seated climbing position but for the riding I did on it the fit was excellent. Granted, I haven’t done any long, steep seated climbs, but on the few shorter steep climbs I’ve done, I didn’t feel out of position and the front end did not lift or wander. It felt balanced while standing and roomy enough while seated although the top tube and reach are on the short side by modern standards. The large with a shorter (60mm?) stem felt a little roomier than the mediums with 65mm or 70 mm stems I’ve ridden in the past while seated but not as different as you might think. It would’ve been nice to see Pivot update the front triangle to yield another 1/2 – 3/4″ of reach in each size so one could run even shorter 35-50mm stems. However, the added control and more centered position of the large with short(ish) stem was definitely preferred over the mediums I’ve ridden in the past both standing and sitting.

Overall I would still rate the Mach 6 up near the top of this very competitive six inch AM/Enduro category. And, like its 155mm travel number would suggest, it even spreads the small gap between the more all-around 150mm travel rigs like the Warden, HD3, and Bronson and the more purpose-built downhill/enduro shredders like the Nomad 3, SB6, and Delirium. It’s light, climbs quite well, uber-stiff, yet plush and controlled on some truly nasty terrain. Yeah, there’s not much I don’t like about this bike.

One of the few bikes we rode with the new Shimano 2×11. I never shifted out of the big ring so don’t know how it worked, but it wasn’t obtrusive and didn’t rattle and make noise in the rough stuff. A good look at the new twin spar “Double Wishbone” newly updated rear triangle.

This is one of those bikes that flew under the radar for me for quite awhile. I was super interested in the Balance last year but never could quite hook up with the Brothers to get a test ride. Meanwhile this Riot thread kept appearing at the top of the Canfield forum on mtbr.com, then my buddy Dusty mentioned he had one on order so I had to see what all the fuss was about. As I got wading through the 70+ pages of e-speculation, and e-anticipation I started to see why so many people were excited about this bike.

Canfield Brothers kinda started the agressive, fun 29er category with the Yelli Screamy AM hardtail back in 2011, but with the Riot they take the agressive, yet playful 29er concept and turn it on its ear, with a FS 29er with 140mm of rear travel, 66.5 degree head angle, and downright stubby 16.3″ chain stays. How can you NOT want to ride a bike like that, especially after Evil has been taking the world by a storm with its own short travel aggressive 29er, the Following? I was fortunate enough to meet up with Lance Canfield near the expo area of the Interbike Dirt Demo this week to ride the new Riot.

Lance had his personal Raw, size large Riot out of the van and ready to ride when I met him. He saddled up his EPO carbon and off we went. Lance, though 15 lbs lighter than me, rides quite a bit more aggressively than me so his suspension settings ended up being spot on. The fit of the size large, which sports a somewhat short ETT length of 24″ has a generous and roomy 18″ reach which is the number that matters more to me when it comes to fit. The stack and bottom bracket height are a bit tall at 24.8″ and 13.78″ on paper, but for a longer travel 29er those numbers aren’t bad and what’s more important is how the bike functions on the trail and this bike felt right. Lance explained that the slot car, in-the-bike feel comes from having the bb below the axles yet still allowing for good pedal clearance in the rocks. The steep 76.0 degree effective seat tube angle puts the rider in a really good position to keep the front wheel planted on steep climbs.

We shuttled to the top of Bootleg Canyon on this run and took the bikes down the fast, rocky, and ledgy Boyscout trail which really tests a bike’s high speed stability and gives the bike plenty of opportunity to show how it manages steep, tight, rocky switchbacks and pop over boulders and small drop offs. Wow! The thought that kept coming to my mind as I flew down the upper half of Boy Scout was, “This thing is a RIOT.” I’m pretty sure that same thought must’ve been going through the minds of the early prototype testers as they rode it too…. well, actually, Lance told me the exclamation that popped into their heads needed to be sensored so didn’t make the final name-the-bike cut. You get the idea though. The Riot is so fun it makes grown men utter involuntary expletives.

Lifting the front end was so effortless and so fun that you just wanted to manual everything… . except that popping over those same obstacles was also so entertaining that each successive hit had you trying to decide which to do. My only other thought as I was bombing that particular section of trail was how cool would this thing be with some nice fat 27.5+ tires on it. The Brothers have experimented with 27.5″ wide rims and plus sized tires and they fit fine and reportedly take the Riot to a total frenzy. I certainly want to try that set up next.

My next challenge was the up and down East Leg trail that has a few short steep climbs, sharp switchbacks, off-camber, exposed step-up moves and tricky gully traverses. But the section I really wanted to try was a super steep, narrow, long chute back down to the main road called “The Hour Glass” (pictured behind the Riot in the first image). Lance had told us about it and pointed it out on the way up, thus all but requiring me to attempt it. This is a pucker factor ten exercise in speed control on a very steep, sometimes loose, rocky chute with a couple potential wheel stoppers positioned right at the narrowest part of the “hour glass”. After a couple tenuous scoping out partial runs, the Riot took me down the Hour Glass with little drama and only mild soiling of my drawers. A very impressive, and confidence inspiring feat.

Overall suspension action was controlled and quite plush. Maybe not as plush as the Spartan but active and well damped. I fell in love with the MRP Stage fork last year at Outerbike and this year with it on the Riot was no different. It didn’t quite match the awesomeness of Pike that was on the Spartan, and it is squish squish noisy on its rebound stroke (which I actually don’t mind), but, dang, it was close and I really like this fork. I love that you can control the ramp up with a twist of a knob out on the trail, rather than adding tokens internally. This will likely be the first upgrade on my new Endorphin that should be arriving soon. The excellent DB Inline shock handled damping duties out back without me even noticing it. Lance had the tune dialed in just right for me as well. I was really kind of torn between the DB Inline and the new Fox EVOL shock when I ordered my bike because of trickier set up, a few reports of seal failure, and slightly higher weight with the Inline, but this experience confirmed to me that I made the right decision in ordering the Inline.

Climbing is the one thing I didn’t get to do a lot of other than short steep grade reversals on the trails we rode. There’s a 200 yard climb I usually take all the bikes on halfway down our normal route that I forgot to do on the Riot. It’s loose, with some 12″ steps and two tough, rocky switch backs and one difficult 4′ step/lunge up move. It’s a great test. The RFX cleaned it. I had a couple little bobbles on the Spartan, but from the short climbs I did, I don’t have any reason believe it wouldn’t do as well (or better) than those two. Smoother climbs feel surprisingly efficient. Just not a lot of squat or bob for a bike that is this plush on the descents. The Brothers patented Balance Formula double link suspension is impressive. It feels plush and controlled on the rough, nasties, crawls up techy loose climbs while tenaciously sticking to the ground, yet still has a sufficiently firm platform for longer fire road climbs without the need of a lock out or climb switch. You may want to reach down and flip that switch if you like to hammer out of the saddle, but even that did not induce the kind of monkey motion you might expect for a bike this plush and active.

Handling was not cumbersome like many 29ers tend to be due, I assume, to the short chain stays and generous bottom bracket drop. I was never really aware of being on big wagon wheels except when it mattered: bombing over fast chundery, blown out terrain, and crawling over square edges, holes and wheel stoppers on slower technical sections.

So in summary, it felt like a worthy Chilcotin replacement yet still nimble enough to crossover into trail duty as well. Plush on rough fast descents. Capable on super steep sketchy chutes (google the Hour Glass at Bootleg Canyon). Hugs the ground on rough pedally climbs. Tracks well. Efficient on smoother climbs. I can’t think of anything it didn’t do well. I even loved the looks. If you’re lucky enough to have one of these on order, congratulations. You’ve chosen well my friend.

This is the same color scheme I’ve chosen for my new Endorphin so I really liked the raw with blue ano bits. Very sharp.

This MRP Stage Fork was a bit noisy but worked really, really well. I dug it.

Canfield has several eponymous branded parts on their bikes including these cranks and wonderful Crampon Ultimate pedals. (Is it too late to change mine out for some of these, Dusty?)

Anodized awesomeness. No lateral flex was noted in these stout links or rear triangle.

One of the coolest head badges in the industry. Almost makes you want to buy the bike based on that alone

External cable routing was tidy and went where it should: Down the top of the down tube, over the links then down the seat stays. This DB Inline worked as well as any shock I’ve tested.

Wide bars, short stem, and dropper post are all de rigour for this type of bike now days.